I Have Ants in My Pants is a quirky book that does an excellent job in explaining a complex topic in a simplistic manner without dumbing down the material.

Louis reminds me of my grandson....always moving and wiggling around like he has ants in his pants. Learning how to control this is not easy and Louis has to learn ways to deal with his ants in his pants.
I have read many books by Julia Cook to my preschool class as well as my grandchildren. She never disappoints me. Her writing is done at the level young children can understand and comprehend.
Relatable rhyming enhances learning along with beautiful illustrations.
Thank you to NetGallery, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

This cutely illustrated children's picture book teaches fidgety, hyperactive children (and perhaps their parents too) some useful strategies for learning to sit still. Fidgety, easily bored kids might find the text a little repetitive as the boy in the book says the same things over and over again.

I would give this four stars but all the apostrophes and some punctuation seem to be missing from my copy. None of the other reviews that I read have mentioned this so it's possible that it's just not showing up right at my end?

I read a free digital version that I got from Netgalley and this is my honest opinion.

A great book for all us with kiddos who like to wiggle! Its hard for them to sit for a long time & this is a great book to let them know that it happens to everyone. Filled with tips on how to teach our kids how to sit still & how its ok to take a wiggle dance break throughout the day even if its a little wiggle of our toes or fingers just to remind those ants in our pants that we're the boss of them.

This was a fantastic book about finding ways to control the "Ants in your Pants". This book included some great tips and techniques to help young children find their focus when required. Highly recommend for anyone that has kids with a case of the wiggles.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

Great book with really cute illustrations. Fun message for children.
I also like the guide for adults at the end on how to work with kids on sitting still.

This was a great book. It was very informative. I read it to my 3 littles, and they loved it too!!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own

Thank you for the opportunity to review I Have Ants in My Pants by Julia Cook. All views expressed are my own.

This children's book is about that "ants in your pants" feeling. The feeling of being jittery. Restless. Fidgety. Maybe even having trouble with paying attention. Things like that. These are relatable feelings for all people, of course, but this book focuses on Louis. Louis accidentally kicks his friend, can't sit still in line, wiggles in his seat at the movies. At all of these instances, someone tells him he has ants in his pants, but he takes it literally and doesn't understand what they're talking about. Eventually, his mom explains that it means he wiggles and she teaches him a dance tool.

The aim of this book, according to the National Center for Youth Issues, is to normalize the feeling many children have when they struggle to control their wiggles and provides strategies for improving impulse control. I am unsure if this book is effective in actually teaching children anything because I am an adult, but what I thought about while reading it was that it may be a good suggestion for parents who have children with similar behavior. At the end of the book, there is a tips for teaching kids to sit still page, which I think really plays into my thoughts that this book might be best first for a parent, then for a child to connect with a parent over. As for a general audience of children, not sure. Possibly! Otherwise, it's short, concise, and has a clear purpose.

A fun story about a squirmy kid and figuring out how to control his wiggles in situations like school and the movies.

First, thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to preview this book for my honest opinion!
This is such a cute book!!! What little kid (and big ones too) doesn’t struggle with ants in your pants!!! What a wonderful adventure we are given to figure out if those ants are real and how we can deal with them! I can hardly wait to share this book with my grandkids! Thank you!!!!

I Have Ants in My Pants is a great rhyming story. It teaches kids what having ants in their pants means and even gives suggestions on how to deal with them.

As always, Julia Cook knows exactly what to say and how to say it to make anything relatable to kids. I think this book is a missing piece that has been needed for a long time. We have so many kids who cannot sit still and have little to no coping skills or self-control due to parents just being over-loaded at home and putting an IPAD in their hands for some relief. I hope that through sharing this book and creating activities to accompany the story, I can help students and parents aquire the skills needed to help with this. I plan to use this book in small groups as well as individual counseling sessions.

What a cute book about. It's just the kind of book my niece would laugh at. She loves silly stories. It's a good lesson too. The pictures were very colorful and entertaining.

This book is about a little boy who can't sit still, and is constantly told he has "ants in his pants." His mom teaches him what that means and how to help himself at home, the movies and school.

It would be great for teachers to read to their class, carefully explaining the vocabulary as they go, and implementing the strategies discussed in the book. Children kindergarten - second grade would benefit from hearing this story.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for a free review!

This is a cute, silly little book which reminds kids how to sit still when it matters the most, especially while in school. The illustrations and mantra are hilarious "What if they're in my underwear? This can't be true, they can't be right! Ants in my pants?! What if they bite?" and leaves him feeling paranoid the entire day, but his mother reassures him no and gives him tips on how to resist the urge to constantly move when you need to be still. My five year old daughter giggled throughout the whole story and really seemed to enjoy it. Great way to teach your kids how to be calm and collected in public and I highly recommend this book for a good laugh for all! Thank you NetGalley for the free copy, this is our honest review.

This book is awesome. As a mother of three, one of which has ADHD, and a softball coach of all ages I have seen kids with ‘ants in their pants.’

In the book, we learn about Louis and his struggles to get the wiggles out. The books has catchy rhymes and great illustrations! The second half of the books talks about how Louis can help get rid of the ants in his pants. I also loved that at the end it gave tips for parents and teachers for how to get kids to sit still.

Thank you to the NetGalley, the author and publisher for the #arc in exchange for a honest review.

Sign me up! Put this book in every teacher's classroom library! This book is for every kid with ADHD and their parents. This story is such a positive approach to a discussion about strategies to use in the classroom; personal space, fidget toys, and self-control. This is the book I needed when my son was younger and the book I'll recommend to my school colleagues!

Thank you to the National Center for Youth Issues and Julia Cook for this much needed book! Thank you to NetGalley for access to a digital ARC of this book.

This is a cute little story for young kids! It’s a simple story about a kid named Louis who wiggles a lot and is told by adults that he has ants in his pants! Louis looks for the ants in his pants but can’t find them. Cook tells a story so that kids feel that they are normal and not alone, other kids feel this way too! Louis was able to overcome his wiggles with strategies discussed in a simplistic way and it will help other kids that wiggle too!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my opinion.
#NetGalley #IHaveAntsinMyPant

Poor Louis has "wiggilitis" ( yes I just made that name up). He cannot control his impulses to stay still. Whatever he is doing, wherever he is the wiggles sneak up on him and he lets loose. Every time he erupts with enthusiastic bursts an adult tells him he has ants in his pants. He doesn't quite know what that means but when he inspects his pants closely he sees no sign of ants whatsoever.

His mother explains to him that having ants in your pants means you wiggle a lot and she explains to him how he might get control of his outbursts. She teaches him the Wiggle Dance. Now that sounds like fun and doable right?


"Wiggle and jiggle.
Jump up and down.
Shake your hands
and turn around.
Take a deep breath.
Scrunch up your nose.
Wobble your knees
and wiggle your toes."


Louis learns when he sits down to make sure he has his own personal space bubble around him which makes perfect sense now that we have to social distance from each other. She hands him a focus squishy that will keep his fingers busy so he'll be able to pay attention, and finally she encourages him not to talk while others are speaking so he can hear what they have to say.

"If you can do all of these things, Louis,
you can be the boss of your ants."


The illustrations are expressive, and kid friendly making the message of the book resonate with kids. The author has included "Tips for Teaching Kids to Sit Still" at the end of the book for parents, teachers and caregivers. I highly recommend this books.

This story was hysterical. My son is going to absolutely love this story. It’s one of those stories that a child will her wound up about And act out. I loved it. I love when I find cute stories for my son that are interactive but not necessarily meant to be.